


She Knows

by ramen267



Series: Tommy Brown The Friendly Ghost? [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: 1950s, F/M, Grief, Major Original Character(s), Major character death - Freeform, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sadness, original work with a hint of mash later on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:09:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23351467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramen267/pseuds/ramen267
Summary: Mrs. Brown gets a letter.
Relationships: William Johnson(OC)/Jane Pinkerson
Series: Tommy Brown The Friendly Ghost? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679533





	She Knows

The letter arrived around lunch. Cold, heartless, straight to the point:

_Dear Mrs. Brown,_

_I regret to inform you that as of this day, October 8, 1950, Corporal Thomas Brown's body was discovered. Corporal Brown's belongings will be shipped stateside in a couple of days._

She couldn't read the rest, not like there was much left to it. Her heart broke after reading those words. She crumbled to the floor in tears, her hand clamping over her mouth to muffle her cries. He was gone. Only three months in and he was gone. She let out a wail of despair, not caring if the neighbors heard.

She carefully grabbed the letter off the kitchen table. It had been there for a few days, she hadn't had the time to read it yet. With shaking hands, she gingerly opened the envelope and took out the letter, slowly unfolding the letter, letting her tear filled eyes thoroughly scan the paper.

_Dear Mom,_

_Korea isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now don't get me wrong, It's awful. But it's more bearable with friends._

_I made a friend today, Private William Johnson. Everyone calls him Will, I call him Willy sometimes to annoy him. He's great Mom, I think you'd like him. He's smart, nice, and funny._

_He has a girl waiting for him at home Mom. Her name's Jane I think. She's really pretty. We have to get moving again. I love you Mom, see ya when I get home!_

_Your loving son,_

_Tommy_

It didn't take a genius to know what happened to her boy. He always preferred unusual company. He never was super subtle about who held his affections. She never cared, as long as he was happy she didn't care who's company he preferred. If she knew his affections would be the reason she never got to see him again she would've cared. Would've forced him to keep quiet, to be more careful.

She hopes it was quick, a shot to the head or a shove into a minefield. She prays it wasn't slow, that he wasn't scared or hurting. It almost kills her to imagine it, but she'd rather wake after seeing him laying dead as a door nail than drowning in his own blood, trying to summon the energy to move.

She knows though. Knows it wasn't quick. She knows how people treat people like her son. People are cruel. She knows they wouldn't show mercy to him. No matter how much she wishes for it to have been a bullet to the brain, she knows. She can almost see it, his buddies getting him drunk before bringing him off the trail. His confusion when he realizes they're not heading back to their tent. The fear and betrayal when the first one throws him to the ground. The screams of pain as they all take their turn. The failed attempts to stand once they leave.

She knows what they'll say if she asks:"Killed in action. He was a brave young man, you should be proud." They think it'll spare her the pain if she thinks her son died a hero's death. But she knows the truth. He did die at the hands of the enemy, at the hands of his "friends". Knows it was the enemy that should've been dragging him out of gunfire and demanding that the medic take good care of him.

Knowing doesn't make it bearable. The sobs start up again, she clutches the letter to her chest. She realizes it's the closest she'll get to hugging her boy. She knows he's gone.


End file.
